DENVER, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team closed the regular season on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 shutout victory over Regis University as they clinched a spot in the RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament for the second consecutive year.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 1, RU 0
Records: UCCS (9-4-5, 5-2-3 RMAC), RU (6-10-2, 4-5-1 RMAC)
Facility: RU Match Pitch |Denver, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 20-41-8 all-time against Regis and hold a 4-0 record against the Rangers under current head coach
Lewis Wilcox.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Playing their final regular season game of the season and looking to clinch a spot in the RMAC Tournament, UCCS came out with immense urgency and went on to dominate possession for the start of the match as they recorded six total shots and four shots on goal in the opening 25 minutes of play while holding the Rangers without a shot attempt.
- Regis would find their first opportunity at the net in the 26th minute when last season's RMAC Player of the Year, Rayhan Carlson-Du Toit, put a strike on frame that was saved by UCCS goalkeeper Soren Russell.
- Both teams would continue to trade shots throughout the remainder of the first half, but it was the Rangers that had the most promising chance to score just before the break in the 43rd minute. Carlson-Du Toit broke away from the defense on his own and had an open look at the net, but fortunately for the Mountain Lions, his shot bounced off the right post and caromed harmlessly into the hands of Russell, keeping the match scoreless at the intermission.
- Coming out of the halftime break, UCCS continued to get plenty of opportunities to break the scoreless tie as they recorded four of the first five shot attempts in the half, putting three of them on frame.
- After Regis had a strong scoring opportunity thwarted in the 58th minute, the Mountain Lions finally managed to convert in the 64th minute to score the first goal of the match. With Regis attempting to clear the ball, Lars Walczyk got a head on the ball just past the midfield line and sent it back into the UCCS attacking zone, where Kolby Raineri collected it, drove towards the net, and finished for the goal that gave the Mountain Lions a 1-0 lead.
- The Rangers would ramp up their offensive attack down the stretch as they managed to tally seven shot attempts in the final 25 minutes of the match, including two that were on target, but Russell and the Mountain Lion defense held tight to secure the 1-0 clean sheet victory and clinch a position in the RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- As a team, the Mountain Lions held advantages in total shots (25-13), shots on goal (13-5), and corner kicks (8-4).
- Raineri's goal marks his fifth of the season and brings his season point total to 16, which sits second on the team behind Alex Andersson (18). Raineri also paced the Mountain Lions with six total shots and five shots on goal, while Peter Chang tallied five total shots and Walczyk recorded four.
- Five UCCS field players logged complete 90-minute performances, including Raineri, Nic Grotle, Dani Barajas, Martin Launay, and Noah Espino-Kennedy.
- Russell picked up his fifth clean sheet of the season as he totaled four saves across 90 minutes of action between the sticks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions finish the regular season on a seven-game unbeaten streak and will qualify for the RMAC Men's Soccer Tournament after earning 18 points and tying for fourth place with Westminster University.
- With two points today, Raineri moves into a tie for fourth all-time in program history with 75 points in his career. His game-winning goal also registers as the sixth of his career, which is tied for the sixth most all-time in the UCCS men's soccer record book.
- After recording his fifth clean sheet of his career, Russell moves into a three-way tie for tenth all-time in program history with Brandon Horoba and Adam Liszewski.
UP NEXT
- Having clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament with 18 points during the conference season, the Mountain Lions will await the announcement of the tournament bracket later this evening.
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
